


Dreams Gone By [Extended]

by HPLurvkriff



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Children, Dreams and Nightmares, Drinking, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Marriage, Not WildeHopps, Pregnancy, Soulmates, wildehopps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 18:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30110394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HPLurvkriff/pseuds/HPLurvkriff
Summary: Judy Lop, nee Hopps, is out shopping with her kits on her wedding anniversary and bumps into a dear old friend, who passes on a concern for the ex-cop turned housewife. Old forgotten yearnings flicker in her but is she ready? Is it even real?This is a re-edit of my work in r/Zootopia Anthology II: The Children of Zootopia.
Relationships: Jack Savage/Skye, Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	1. Dreams Gone By

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [r/Zootopia Anthology Volume II: The Children of Zootopia](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10784151) by [D3ath_0ps](https://archiveofourown.org/users/D3ath_0ps/pseuds/D3ath_0ps), [eng050599](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eng050599/pseuds/eng050599), [fire_of_1584](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fire_of_1584/pseuds/fire_of_1584), [HPLurvkriff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HPLurvkriff/pseuds/HPLurvkriff), [PullTogether](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PullTogether/pseuds/PullTogether), [SupremeSalt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupremeSalt/pseuds/SupremeSalt), [TheRealFanboy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealFanboy/pseuds/TheRealFanboy), [VariableMammal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VariableMammal/pseuds/VariableMammal), [vulpinewizard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulpinewizard/pseuds/vulpinewizard), [YFWE](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YFWE/pseuds/YFWE). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to DrummerMax and EEsDoNotItNow for editing the original drafts in the Anthology.
> 
> Thanks to Lord Kraus, Cobalt Lion, and Alicorn Airport for proofreading this new version.

Shopping used to be so easy: go out, pick up what's needed, go home. Now it was closer to her time working with SWAT, which was some time ago. Battle plans were laid out, even if it was just mentally. A variety of accessories had to be brought into the field to deal with the variety of possible obstacles. The major difference was that the equipment was for use on her team. Instead of teaming with a group of large intimidating mammals, she was teamed up with her nine children.

She pushed the cart down the aisle, her eyes searching for the brand of spaghetti Matthew preferred; it never seemed to be in the same place twice. Her youngest litter—all four of them—were bundled snugly into the pockets of her fleece-covered vest, reminiscent of the tactical SWAT gear she once wore. Instead of zip ties and extra ammo, she had diapers and wipes. 

Oliver and Olivia—the second youngest litter—sat in the cart, occupying themselves with a cartoonish, soft-plastic tractor. They seemed to enjoy taking turns throwing the toy on the floor for Judy to pick up. 

It was tempting to just leave the toy where the troublesome twins tossed it. The fact that her father gave it to them was the only reason she ignored that temptation. That  _ and _ they'd start wailing if she didn't retrieve it.

"Mom! Mom! Mommy!" A brown-and-gray bunny bounced towards Judy, holding a vibrant blue box of Mac and cheese.

"Can we get this? It's Detective Ace!" The regular cheesy dinosaur was replaced with promotional images of a trench-coated wolf holding out a golden badge.

"There's a badge, his face, a.." his eyes squinted as he attempted to use his budding phonetic abilities, "crew-is-er?"

"Cruiser.” She corrected, who continued to gush about the edible merchandising of his favorite cartoon character.

A brown rabbit doe with familiar purple eyes grumbled, “Mama, if Neil gets that, why can’t I have a candy bar?”

Little Natalie glared at her littermate, who was oblivious to her scorn.

“We’re not getting either of those. Neil, honey, put that back, please.”

His ears drooped as he obediently plodded over to the shelf and put it back. Considering it a victory, Natalie raised her nose in the air with a haughty smirk. Her daughter's expression brought back some less than fond memories of Judy’s sisters. She put “give that doe a good long talk about humility” on her parental to-do list.

With a frown, she found the familiar red box on the very bottom shelf. Her paw rubbed her rounded belly. A few weeks ago she might have been able to squat down and grab a box with only a few annoying groans but not with her fourth litter growing ever bigger.

“Natalie, sweetie, could you grab two boxes of spaghetti for mom?”

“If I do, can I have a candy bar?”

Judy’s ear twitched. Judy Hopps hustled criminals, corrupt politicians, and some of the most violent offenders in all of Zootopia. A five-year-old would not have been a challenge to Officer Hopps. The problem was, she wasn’t Officer Hopps anymore. She was Judy Lop. With the ring on her finger she had been Judy Lop for seven years. Seven years to the day to be exact. To Judy Lop, a five-year-old would be a challenge. If it was up to Natalie she’d eat chocolate for every meal. No relatives on her side were this gung ho about the confection so she assumed it must be from Matthew’s side of the family. It was both a blessing and a curse that she did have her mother’s smarts. Nat was already aware that “I’ll think about it” meant “no”. Excuses were wearing thin and Judy was too drained to think of a way to hustle her own daughter. A deal would have to be struck with her, a five-year-old. Unlike Officer Judy Hopps of the ZPD, Judy Lop made deals with five-year-olds. 

“No honey, but we can get something better when we go pick up the cake.”

The little one’s demeanor perked up at the mention of cake and she hopped off to get the boxes for her mother. The third of the first litter clung to the side of the cart, staring off at the TV that hung over the pig cashier of the little market, playing the midday news. Reaching out, she caressed his black-tipped ears in the same manner as her mother had done to her. The little gray rabbit turned his emerald eyes to her quizzically.

“What was that for?”

She smiled at him, “Because you were in reach, my little Nicky.”

But it was because he was the least difficult of her kits. He was her golden child. Lately though, he had seemed sullen. When they were at the park yesterday he barely played with the other kits, even his siblings. Instead he sat with her on the bench. Of course she asked him if anything was wrong and he denied it. The tone of his voice said something different. Perhaps he was just grappling with some existential quandary that most five-year-olds wouldn’t give a second thought.

With a bashful smile, he turned his attention back to the glowing screen. Judy glanced to see what was holding her son’s attention: A serious-faced panther rattled off the news with an image of a house on screen.

“...third destructive break-in this week. The ZPD stated that they are thoroughly investigating all the cases but they are tight lipped on any possible connections. Now on to sports with Ted…”

Aside from a round of diaper changes for little Peter, Penelope, Patricia, and Pamela, the rest of the trip through the grocery store passed uneventfully. With the kids packed in the car, she stuffed the trunk with her purchases.

A police siren blared. Blurs of black and white flew down the street. Judy shot straight up and fixated on the flashing lights as they passed. There was a pull she hadn’t felt in ages telling her to follow. The cars vanished around a corner and soon the siren dwindled below the ambient noise of the city. It had been ten years since she felt that familiar pull.

When she was a cop, she thought she had everything she ever wanted. Her mother, along with many others, warned her that she would want more. At some point her biological clock would start ringing. She always laughed that off. Thinking there was no way that she’d fall prey to such a thing, but she remembered exactly when that alarm went off. She and Nick were on an evening patrol when they found a lone lion cub. They heard his story between bouts of heaving tears. After a fight with his parents, he ran away. Whether he did it trying to find a greener pasture or as the only punishment he could dole out to them was moot. A kid lost in a big city eventually wanted to go home. The reason for the fight was trivial. Judy couldn’t even remember, but she remembered how his parents looked when they brought him home. His mother seemed to have cried as much as he did. 

This wasn’t the first lost child they dealt with, so the happy reunion was expected, but between the joy on the mother’s face and the child’s outpouring of love, it triggered something deep within her. Something that told her she needed that. It wasn’t long before Nick noticed she had been putting less effort into her work, which admittedly was still above ZPD standards. It was more awkward than she expected telling Nick that she was wanting a family. She felt responsible for getting him into the ZPD and it seemed like a dereliction of duty to leave him so soon into their partnership. On top of that, even before the call to motherhood, she had days where she lamented that Nick was born a fox. He took her news better than she expected.

“Carrots, you deserve to be happy. If that means having a squadron of kits, then go have a squadron of kits. Just don’t give any of them terrible middle names.”

It was good advice, even though she was already going to make sure none of her kits had Lavern or Piberius as middle names.

Before she could have kits, she needed a father. As her focus shifted from policing to dating, she willingly took positions that lightened her workload and gave her a flexible schedule. Those positions also demoted her ranking. After several failed dates found from the many apps that had suddenly infested her phone, she called upon the help of her mother. Bonnie was more than happy to make some calls and find some city dwelling bachelors for her. And the third buck was the charm; Matthew Lop. He was smart, funny, and even understanding of her time as a police officer. He knew the Hopps family from his line of work; produce distribution. As the head of the Zootopia branch of Tri-Burrows Produce, he could easily support a family.

It was a little over a year before they were married, but it seemed like a whirlwind to Judy. And then two years later, she had her first litter.

Sitting at the red light she glanced at her kits, all strapped securely into car seats. The younger ones nodded off while no fights seemed to be brewing between the older ones. She brought her attention back to the traffic. A bus rolled by and its side panel advert was for the ZPD. After the Night Howler case and Nick becoming her partner, she took up Bogo and the interim Mayor’s offer to be apart of ZPD’s ad campaign, under the stipulation that Nick would be a part of it. They were mostly true to her word. There were some adverts with just him, some with both of them, but she mostly saw her own smiling face as she held up her golden badge with the ZPD recruitment slogan under it. She saw her own violet eyes staring back at her as the bus rolled by. She was surprised at how vibrant the ad was considering how long it had to have been on the bus. The recruitment slogan, “Make a difference. Join the ZPD today!” rested under her face. Rather it should have. Her brow furrowed with confusion as she saw quite a different line in its place. “Come back Officer Hopps!” A truck flew through the intersection, momentarily obscuring the bus. When the view cleared the faded ad appeared as it should have, the light colored text of the slogan faded into near invisibility from years of bleaching in the sun light. Clearing her head with a shake, failing to remember when her last meal was she decided that she’d try to make up for it at the bakery. It might not be wholly nutritious but a good slice of carrot cake would help. 

Her paw rubbed over her grumbling belly, while she waited in line at the bakery surrounded by kits. It had been seven years since their wedding day, with two years off the force before that. That old ad made thoughts of where all her co-workers float through her head. Bogo was heading towards the age of retirement, although she wouldn’t put it past the buffalo to be dragged into retirement. He might not kick and scream as he was dragged away from his office, whoever had the unfortunate job to remove him would probably have a nice long hospital stay afterwards. Francine was trying for detective before Judy left. The rabbit snickered at the thought of the elephant in a large trench coat, the unofficial uniform for ZPD’s detective division. She wondered who Nick was partnered with after she left. Perhaps he found himself a vixen and had a few kits of his own by now. Or maybe she wasn’t the only one who left. Maybe without her, Nick didn’t have a reason to stay. Maybe he-

“Next!” The young wolf behind the counter broke Judy out of her stupor.

“I have a prepaid pick up order; a cake. Under Judy Lop.”

The she-wolf looked down at a sheet of paper next to the register, scanning the list.

“Okay, it’s ready. Just pick it up at the other end. Anything else, ma’am?”

“A triple chocolate fudge bar!” Natalie squealed, tapping at the dark brown confection in the display case. Her brothers followed suit, picking out their sweets which Judy added to the order.

“And I’ll have a slice of carrot cake.”

“Add on my usual, Trish.” A familiar voice piped up behind her as a dark furred paw in a blue sleeved uniform tapped down several bills onto the counter, “Keep the change.”

As Judy turned to the voice, Natalie sucked in a frightened breath and hopped behind her mother, latching painfully to her leg. Neil’s eyes widened at the sight of the gleaming badge on the mammal behind them.

“Long time no see, Carrots.”

Connie’s Confectionery didn’t have much in the way of seating. It had a grab-n-go attitude with its service, but occasionally a mammal or two would enjoy their crullers, tarts, and other sweet treats as soon as they were handed to them. There were two well-worn tables and several mismatched chairs at the far side of the room. As an added convenience, there were stacks of coloring placemats for kits over most of the tables. Nick helped Judy bring their orders to the table.

“Quite a little carrot farm you have there, Fluff.”

Judy chuckled as she secured the two O’s in the stroller.

“Well, you know us rabbits and carrots; can’t have enough of them.”

Even after all this time she could still read him, seeing that the smile on his muzzle was genuine. Warmth filled her chest as she looked into his emerald eyes. As familiar as his eyes were, he had changed over the years. A few more years and he’d be knocking on the door of the big five-oh, and his fur reflected it. She knew Nick was vain but while some mammals might have dyed their fur, he embraced the signs of aging. Turning signs that would normally bring up thoughts of infirmity became distinguished and wise on the fox, even a bit ruggedly handsome. There were even a few battle scars, a jagged bite out of his right ear was the most noticeable, that added to both a level of intimidation and a deeply hidden appeal that Judy thought she buried ages ago.

“I want to apologize. Matthew’s family is very traditional and they were paying for most of it, so it was rabbits only.”

“Don’t sweat it.” There was a subtle shift in his smile, she knew he was obscuring his true feelings. He took a sip from his heavily sugared coffee before continuing.

“Besides, I was in a sting operation that night, so I wouldn’t have been able to make it, but it did give me something to hold over Wolford’s head for the rest of his life.”

The smile shifted again, this time into something more sly.

“You dug up some dirt on a fellow officer?”

“Nothing so scandalous, Carrots. I just took a bullet for him is all.”

“You what?” She nearly jumped out of her chair, as a raging flare of concern lit up her eyes. The four little baby bunnies snug in her vest whined in displeasure at the sudden movement.

Nick couldn’t help himself from laughing, “Bogo said he was glad you weren’t there for that. You would have killed me for getting shot. But I’m fine. My chest was purple for a week and it hurt like a son of a-”

His eyes flickered towards the children that he momentarily forgot were there.

“A lot. It hurt a lot. But I think we’re being a little rude here, Carrots.”

“Her name isn’t carrots.” The little green eyed buck stated.

“The two napping are Oliver and Olivia and I have Penelope, Patricia, Pamela, and Peter here.” She motioned to the four bundled bunnies sitting in their pouches.

A short chuckle escaped Nick’s mouth.

“That looks like one of our tac vests.”

“Honestly, I think it is. It sure cost more than the one I used in SWAT.”

The brown and gray bunny leapt up from his seat, “I’m Neil. I wanna be a cop when I grow up.”

Nick reeled back in his seat in faux surprise, “One of your kits wants to be a cop. What a shock.” He shifted in his seat, reaching into his pocket. Judy saw a lovely twinkle in his eyes as he pulled out a sticker and placed it on the left side of Neil’s chest.

“If you’re even half as good of a cop as your mother was, you’ll be worth more than a squad of seasoned sergeants.”

Looking up from his new shiny badge, Neil’s ecstatic face vanished into a theatrical seriousness as he stood ramrod straight and saluted the fox. With a chuckle Nick saluted back, allowing Neil’s smile to pop back onto his face as he lifted his shirt to stare at the badge. All the while, Natalie clung harder to her mother. The little kit’s frightened eyes were glued to Nick. When Judy pointed her out to the fox she let out a mewling whine.

“Now Natalie, be nice. This is one of your mother’s old friends, there’s no reason to act this way.”

“Pop-pop says foxes are devils in disguise.”

“Natalie!” Judy reprimanded, making a mental note to speak to Matthew’s father about what kinds of things he says in front of her children.

“She’s just a kit, Carrots. She’ll eventually learn that the only devilish thing about foxes is their good looks. Just like you did.”

“Why are you calling mommy carrots? Her name’s Judy.” It was the little gray furred buck again.

The two mammals stared at one another. The tyke didn’t sound upset, but it was something more than curiosity. He had scooched himself from her side onto her lap. It was rare that he fidgeted so much but before she could attempt to move him back the fox’s eyes lit up in recognition.

“You’re her defender aren’t you? Let me tell you, that’s a tiring job. Although I’m sure you’re having an easier time of it than I did. Just a word of warning though, she can be a bit stubborn.”

“Oh, I’m not that bad.” She said holding back a laugh.

“Records say otherwise. You still have the fastest knockout in the academy. No one has been able to beat the ‘rebounding bunny’ technique.” Nick turned back to the kit whose stare had softened, “What’s your name?”

“Nicholas Lop.”

One eyebrow arched up on the fox as he took a glance at Judy. She felt a rush of heat cross her cheeks almost blurting out that he was named after Matthew’s uncle. Although he was also the only kit whose name wasn’t debated and argued over.

“Isn’t that a coincidence, my name’s Nicholas as well.” He reached over the table extending his paw, or rather his finger, for the little rabbit, “Welcome to our little club; Nicks, the Judy Defender’s Club.”

The tyke eyed the elder Nick’s finger, taking care not to bring his paw near the fox’s claw, instead grasping the paw pad and giving it three little shakes.

The three kits took to coloring their colorless paper placemats. Natalie would give Nick a suspicious glance between adding flowers of unusual colors to the flowerless scene while Neil made a decent surrealist piece over the cartoon lion that was printed on his paper. Little Nicky stuck to using the proper colors and making sure they were all in the right place.

After a time of idle chit-chat, her congratulating Nick on his Captain-hood and getting the quick roundup of ten years of inter-office gossip, their conversation paused. She could see something in his eyes. That there was something he was holding back. Wanting to know what it was, she prompted him.

“What is it?”

His ears went flat against his head as he sighed. She felt his paw lay gingerly over hers.

“We miss you, Judy.” His thumb pad rubbed over her wrist. A forlorn glint showed in his eyes as he opened his mouth to continue but it took a moment for the words to choke out.

“I-I miss you.”

The word “miss” came out of his throat but she knew that wasn’t the word he meant. In that moment she wanted to do anything to get rid of that sad glimmer in his eyes but she couldn’t. Her ring had suddenly become the densest weight she had ever felt.

“But there is something.” He coughed, removing his paw from hers.

“You’ve seen the stories about the break-ins?” He took a sly glance around before leaning closer to her. “We’re doing our best to keep it from the media but they are all connected. All the mammals attacked were ex-cops; retired or honorably discharged.”

“Any idea who would be doing this?” Nick was already breaking several protocols telling her, so she hoped he’d continue breaking them.

“No idea, but…” He took a wary glance at the kits and saw them engrossed in their coloring. “You still have your sidearm?”

Did she? Her mind flipped back in time to the last memory of the little handgun. She intended to take it out to the range every so often, but that kept never happening. Moving in with Matthew was quick and hectic but she was sure she still had it. Somewhere at least. She gave Nick a quick nod.

“Can you ease an old fox’s mind and make sure it’s in working order?”

A siren whooped outside, Judy looked out the window to see a cruiser pull up.

“That’s my ride.” He emptied the dregs of his cup as he got up. “It was good to see you again, Carrots. We should bump into each other more often.”

“As long as you keep paying for the snacks.”

The tempo of his tail swish increased as he laughed. Before he reached the door, his triangular ears popped up.

“Oh! Nick, what’s your middle name?”

Setting the red crayon down, there was no brown for his tree, he looked up at the fox. “Stewart. Why?”

“Nicholas Stewart Lop.” Nick murmured the name and smiled at the kit. “You should thank your mother for such fine names.”

And with a wink, he was gone.

“He’s weird.” Little Nick stated before getting back to his coloring.

Having procured all of what she needed for that night’s special dinner, Judy and her tiny crew made their way back home. The P’s went into their cribs after a quadruple feed-n-change. A playpen was set out for the O’s after their feeding in the living room while the three eldest fought over the dominion of the TV remote. Natalie won out and began the double feature of Wrangled 2 and Floatzen 2. Now it was just Judy and the kitchen, hoping the Q’s would be nice and not bounce about inside her.

Everything was ready by the time Matthew got home. The pasta was still warm and the sauce simmered in the pot. Judy has used his mother’s recipe for the sauce. Mostly. It’s easier to make things from scratch in the Tri-Burrows since all the fresh ingredients could be picked up on a walk through the garden in the backyard. Judy had to make do with some dried spices and store bought ingredients.

After hearing the click of the door close, Judy plated his food and brought it to the table.

“Kids, turn off the TV. Dinner’s ready.”

The kids bounded around their father’s feet while he kept his face buried in a newspaper. He sat down with a gruff mumble.

“Everything okay, honey?” Inquired Judy.

He grumbled in response, eyes still glued to the paper. “Two trucks and coolers crapped out, eighty miles out of the middle of nowhere. Lost four trailers worth of product.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, dear, but I made your favorite carrot pasta sauce.” She knew it was a rather lame placation for his woes but she hoped he’d at least brighten up a little.

Instead, he groaned in disappointment. “Meetings went late so we had a late lunch about two hours ago.”

The smile strained on her face as she had to remind herself that this wasn’t anyone’s fault.

"Leave any room for cake?"

He groaned again. Strike two. Slipping back into the kitchen she grabbed the anniversary gift she bought weeks ago.

"Maybe this'll lift your spirits, Hon."

She handed him the slender package wrapped in a yellow bow, which untied with a single pull. Lifting the lid, he revealed a set of golden pens with his name engraved on them, along with a display stand for them.

"They'll look great on my desk. Thanks, babe." He leaned up and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

With his paws free, he plucked his wallet out from his pocket and began shuffling through it.

"I wish I had the time to get you something just as fancy, but it's been busy..." He trailed off and he found what he was looking for.

It was a gift card to The Velveteen Rabbit, a lapine lingerie store. Card in paw she glanced down at her swollen stomach. They had quality products. She even owned a few. Aside from comfort being at the bottom of the priorities, she doubted they had a maternity section. 

Turning it over she saw "Mrs. Lop" written in the familiar scrawling of Matthew's secretary. She shoved the plastic card into her pocket before her paw could crush it into pieces.

Dinner went by quietly. Nat and Neil were too enthralled by the delicious food to notice anything, but Nick could tell something was off, glancing between his parents while slowly eating his pasta.

Afterward, the kits hit a carb coma and were thankfully easy to put to bed. Matthew moved into the living room to watch the news he just read about in the paper while Judy cleared the dinner table. Normally after finishing her domestic duties, she'd settle in the living room as well but not tonight.

She couldn't sit next to him with blatant apathy to their seventh anniversary. He was a busy and important person in his company, but he could have taken one hour out of one day within the past month to try to get something a bit more personal.

Filled with frustration she went into their room and ripped open her closet door. Moving several boxes she eventually found her safe. The code to it was burned into her mind; the day she graduated from the academy. Inside was the case that held her side arm and small maintenance kit.

She set everything down on the dining room table and began the careful job of dismantling and cleaning her gun. In her prime, she could have done it in less than a minute blindfolded. But it had felt like ages since she even looked at a real weapon.

The feel of the grip and the smell of the grease dug up forgotten memories. Her unsure movements became more confident as the memories flooded in. There was the time Nick bet her a week of paying for lunches that he could clean the armory faster than her. She beat him horribly only to find out that Bogo ordered him to clean all the guns in the armory and he hustled her into doing the majority of the work. He did pay for the lunches, even going further than that week. Occasionally even buying a few nice dinners for them too.

She missed all that. The adrenaline of a juicy case. The tedium of paperwork. The comradely. The feeling of making a difference in the lives of mammals every day. It was something she'd never give up. At least she thought she wouldn't.

She had her kits now and, even though they could be a real pain at times, she'd never give them up for anything. She couldn't think of a life without them.

"What the hell are you doing?" Matthew's incredulous voice snapped her out of her thoughts and back into reality.

"Cleaning my side arm. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Why?" He was on the verge of shouting. "I thought you got rid of that horrid thing years ago."

"I bumped into an old coworker today and... well it just reminded me that I haven't cleaned this in some time."

As much as she wanted to tell him about the link between the assaults, Nick told her that in confidence. She didn't want anything from her to come back and hurt him.

An exasperated sigh left Matthew's mouth. "Judy, honey, you're a mother now, you shouldn't be messing around with such dangerous things. You shouldn't have even been a cop in the first place."

"What?" Judy shouted.

"C'mon Judy, we all know it. If it wasn't for the Mammal Inclusion Initiative you wouldn't have made it into the ZPD."

Her mouth hung open readying a massive verbal salvo but all that came out was a choked squeak.

"But none of that matters anymore, you're a mother now. Tomorrow I can stop at the pawn shop and trade that thing in for something better. Wouldn’t you like some jewelry instead?"

Jewelry. Lingerie. Did he really think she wanted those things? What was she to him, some doll to play dress up?

A thundering thump stopped her from forming her violent verbal rebuttal. When the kids screamed she instinctively took the full clip on the table and slammed it into the gun.

The kids came screaming out of their room and hid behind their mother.

"Now what the hell has the lot of you all worked up for?"

Their only responses were more screaming as the sounds of splintering wood and shatter glass came from their room.

Adrenaline carried all of her police training to the forefront of her mind.

"Matt, get the other kits." Her voice was one of command, pushing aside all the anger that was boiling up from Matthew’s words. It was the voice of a cop.

Matthew took off towards the nursery and came bolting back with six kits in his arms.

“Go out the back, head to the neighbor’s and call the cops.”

Matthew paused, his eyes pleading for her to come with them.

“Now!”

A bed smashed through the wall, punctuating Judy’s urgent tone. With Matthew and the kits out the back door, Judy turned back towards the sound of destruction coming from the kids’ room.

Whatever was in there had to be strong to toss the bed like that. And all the noise was similar to when she and Nick chased a rhino on PCP through a housing development.

Her legs shifted, moving her into a better stance to take the recoil and held the gun at the ready. Whoever was doing this was going to be stopped this time.

The hallway exploded in drywall and wood, exposing what was causing the havoc.

Judy shrunk back as the thing incomprehensibly growled at her.

What stood before her was no mammal. Before her was an eight-foot tall doughnut. Twitching under the thick sugary glaze were several over sized crickets.

She was dumbstruck as it lumbered towards her, tearing the floor as it moved. Her mind couldn’t grasp how a doughnut was a danger. They were supposed to be small, sweet, and easily broken apart to be dipped into the morning coffee.

When it leaped with a snarl her mind snapped back, raising her gun. But she knew it was for naught. The monstrous baked good would be upon her before she could get her arm up.

She screamed as the sight of glazed crickets engulfed her into darkness.


	2. The Original Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Original Ending found in the r/Zootopia Anthologies II: Children of Zootopia

Judy screamed into the darkness, fur drenched in sweat.

There was movement next to her. A mammal jolted upright, two paws making quick defensive strikes in the air.

“I paid my taxes!” It shouted half awake.

There was a click and a lamp lit up, burning the darkness away. Nick turned to her, cupping the side of her face.

“Calm down,” he cooed.

The vice grip she had on the blanket loosened and she instinctively gripped Nick’s paws. There was a clink of metal as their two rings met.

“It’s okay, Carrots,” his free paw began to gently stroke her sagging ears, “Another nightmare?”

She took several deep ragged breaths, her other paw moved down to her round belly.

“I’m not sure if I can do both.”

Blinking away the sleep still in his eyes, Nick gave a groggy and confused look.

She turned to him with tears in her eyes. “How can I be a good mother if I spend all my time on cases?”  
Her head leaned into the creamy fluff of his chest. The fuzzy warmth of his thick fur eased her mind away from the terror of her dream.

“We clocked nearly eighty hours a week on that serial arsonist. But I don’t want to lose all that I worked for at the ZPD. Does that make me a terrible mother?”

Snaking around her body, Nick’s paws pulled her into a warm hug.

“No,” his voice was deep and soothing, “you’re going to be a terrific mother, and you’ll still be a fantastic cop.”

“But how?” Pushing off his chest, she looked into his still waking eyes, “Statistically, I have the same odds of a coin flip of being a stay at home mother. Even then, I’ll be returning at a deficit. Not only will I have to go through a reassessment course, but...”

Tears finally grew enough to cascade down her face, but Nick chuckled.

“Statistically, rabbits don’t become cops. Statistically, neither do ex-confoxes. Statistically, ex-confoxes don’t fall in love with rabbit cops. If anything, Judy, you defy all statistics.”

His smooth paw pad caressed her cheek, wiping the tear from her face before pulling her back into his warm embrace.

“Besides, I already talked to Bogo about this and, if it came down to it, I can take the P.I. exam and get paid as a consultant for the ZPD.”

She rocketed out of the embrace and questioned her husband with a look.

“It’d allow me to legally help you out on your cases while still taking care of our kits at home.”

“You’d do that?” She sniffed away a tear.

“In a heartbeat.” he murmured before gently kissing her forehead.

They fell back into bed against one another, his tail wrapping around her. Stroking the bushy appendage she felt her heart slow from the nightmarish hammering to a normal steady pace. A smile warmed her face as she thought of coming home to find Nick in a dirty apron with dinner ready and the children all fat and happy. It was odd to her that the image of a domestic Nick didn’t hit her funny bone like she thought it would have. Instead it was endearing and kind of hot. If he could wear those gawdy tropical shirts and still cause her to have carnal thoughts about him, he could rock an apron like it was lingerie.

“Either one of us could do that, you know. If I did it, you might get a chance to catch up to my rank.”

A wistful sigh escaped the smiling fox’s mouth, “I never knew how much I wanted to be a father until you told me about…” His paw gingerly caressed over her stomach.

“Ever since then I… I just want our kits to grow up having something I never got.”

She pulled him tighter, knowing exactly what he meant. Having such a huge family like her’s, Judy really only theoretically understood Nick’s youth - growing up as an only child with a single parent. There was always someone around for her, whether it was her parents, aunts, uncles, older cousins or siblings. There was no lacking for family in the Hopps burrow. Coming home to only a note with dinner instructions and a chore list was such an alien concept to her. On the rare good days his mother came home early enough to tuck him into bed if she wasn’t too tired from working a double shift. Nick didn’t want that for their kids. 

“Besides, Bogo said you were the better cop.”

“Like there was any doubt about that.”

They both shared a laugh but the truth was they were equals in many respects. In the areas where one lacked, the other tended to excel, which made them the most successful partners in the precinct. Keeping Nick on the payroll as a P.I. was an ingenious idea. Aside from keeping Nick in the loop with her cases without breaking confidentiality, it also would make transitioning back into the force easier once the kits got old enough. Her heart wanted to give Nick the credit for that idea but its efficiency reeked of Bogo.

As the silence of the night waft over them, she felt Nick’s arms slacken while his breaths slowed.

“Nick?” She whispered.

A questioning hum came from the dozing fox.

“Can you get your poor, pregnant wife a snack?”

He groaned in protest as he sat up, his tail still clutched by the rabbit.

“Twinkies with pickles again?”

“No, a glazed doughnut.”

Nodding her grabbed a shirt off the floor and felt a tug on his tail as he got up.

“Carrots, I’m going to need that back.”

“Fine,” her grip vanished and his tail gave her a tickling caress as it flowed off her, “just hurry back. I can’t sleep without it.”

Grabbing the keys off the bedside table, he walked over to Judy’s side. Kneeling down, her paw found his as he laid another soft kiss on her head.

“Just some glazed doughnuts? Anything else?”

“With crickets.”

His head and left ear cocked to the side in that confused canide manner she found utterly adorable.

“You sure?”

“Our baby wants some crickets. Are you going to deny our precious little bunny-fox crickets?”

He could not. If his bunny-fox babies wanted crickets then they’re getting the cricket laden confection they’re craving. He smiled as he thought about all the other things he wouldn’t deny to their children. His paw released from hers and made its way to her rounded belly.

“Alright, glazed doughnuts with crickets coming right up,” leaning over, he kissed the peak of her belly, “and you, quit giving your mother nightmares.”

While strange dreams always came back when she had a belly full of young, that night was the last time her condition gave her nightmares. 


	3. The Alternate Ending

A scream shattered the silence. In a blue and red flash, Nick ran out of his dimly lit office and down the hall.

He burst through the door labeled  _ J. Lop _ . 

“Carrots. It's not time, is it?”

She looked at the graying red fox: he had much more of a paunch than in her dream and was missing the seductively intimidating ear scar.

“Just a nightmare.” Her paw roamed over her rounded stomach before her eyes locked onto the clock,“Oh good gravy, it’s nearly ten!” 

She grumbled something about promising to help Matthew put the kits to bed before her eyes fell back onto the folder she’d been using as a pillow. A small pool of drool seeped into the top page. Nick saw the guilty look in her eyes.

“But I have to get this done,” she whined.

“No you don’t.”

“But-” A red furred finger against her twitching nose silenced all protest.

“Don’t make me pull rank, Lieutenant Fluff. Besides, your deal with the Chief supersedes paperwork.” 

Judy always had nightmares before her kits were born, a weird Hopps family trait. One doe out of fifty get it to a varying degrees. They started showing up around the last two months and awlays lasted until the kits were born. Luckily, they’ve never reached “night terror” levels of scary. Having nightmares for several months straight no matter how run of the mill they are, tends to take a toll.

Each pregnancy had its own theme: for the first batch, Zootopia would be under attack from a giant version of some baby item like a bottle or a pacifier, like some Japawnese monster movie, which Nick found hilariousEvery now and then, he would still think about the one where a giant diaper was wrapped around city hall and chuckle.  
The worst was her previous litter: no comically large baby rattle, just night after night of horrific dreams of infidelity. It was all baseless, but even Nick could see that it hurt both her and Matthew. Luckily, they’d vanished after that litter was born and both rabbits were happy to forget those few terrible months in favor of making better memories with their new kits.

After her second pregnancy Bogo no longer wanted to deal with continually stressed and sleep-deprived officer, no matter how much she pleaded that she was capable of working through it all. He wanted her on maternity leave as soon as she knew how many kits she was having. She wanted to keep working until her water broke. Eventually they struck a deal: she would work until the nightmares started.

“What was it this time?” he asked, taking the folder off her desk.

“It was our seventh anniversary and I gave him a pen set.”

“The horror!” Nick gasped, clutching at his chest. “To think you'd be capable of giving a subpar gift.”

“There was more to it,” her brow scrunched in concentration as she tried grasping at the fleeting memories of the dream, “ _ you _ were there.”

“How scandalous! A married doe having fantasies about a _ fox. _ ”

“It was a nightmare, you dummy.” Against her own wishes, a blush bloomed across her face, “but you did have a scar that was kind of hot.”

Nick raised a single eyebrow above his half lidded eyes, its usual effect lessened by his thin, angular reading glasses.

“Your ear had a bite taken out of it.”

“You find mutilation attractive?” He scoffed with feigned offense as he hid the flitter that went through his heart, “I prefer my ears whole and unbitten.”

“It gets foggy after that, but I really could go for a doughnut for some reason.”

“I know where Clawhauser’s stash is hidden.”

“Lead the way, Captain Slick.”

Nick held out a paw, enveloping Judy’s own. Her wedding ring sent a cold shiver from the fox’s paw pad and up his arm. A wince travelled up her body, cued by her feet’s contact with the floor.

“You okay?”

“Just one of the kits protesting. I’m fine.”

Catching her breath, she pointed at the file under Nick’s arm:“That needs to get done.”

“Don’t you worry your fuzzy little tail over it. I know a pair of officers in need of extra work.” He gave her a wink and walked her out of her office.

They made their way through the hallways of offices of the higher-ranked members of the force and down a flight of stairs to the cubicle offices for the lower ranked cops. Nick took small steps to keep up with the slow pace of the smaller and heavily pregnant rabbit. He couldn’t help but smile at the memories that flashed in his head as they passed: celebrating busting a cartel with Fangmeyer and Wolford, congratulating Grizzoli on his promotion to detective. Even the memory of the two of them comforting Francine after her brother’s passing felt nostalgic now.

Judy had her phone out, talking to her husband. Nick slowed further to keep an eye on the rabbit. 

It was a short call: she apologized for staying late again. Nick noted that she skipped the part where she fell asleep at work. She got updates on the kits and how long it took for them to get to bed. Then a quick series of “I miss you”s, “I love you”s, and “I’ll see you soon”s before she hung up.

As they rounded a corner, she continued fiddling with her phone, ordering a zuber ride home. The sounds of two arguing voices began to fill the hallway.

“Hand it over, it’s mine!”

“No way, Short Stack!”

With the sounds of scuffling now coming from the small office, Nick expected to hear the sounds of furniture breaking.

Inside that office, he found ZPD’s second rabbit officer clutching the fluffy white tail of ZPD’s second fox officer. The pure white vixen held a treasured custard eclair out of the black-striped buck’s reach.

“I finished my reports first, so I get the pastry,” the black striped rabbit growled through gritted buck teeth.

The vixen’s pale blue eyes narrowed. “You still have that public indecency report with the skunk.”

“You dealt with him, I only--”

“Took it off my paws in trade for me paying for lunch that shift.” She finished his sentence for him

Nick cleared his throat. The two youngbloods snapped to attention. The custardy treat was fumbled onto a desk, chocolate side down. The buck’s surprised look switched to a nervous attention as he locked eyes with Nick. The vixen thought the floor was a bit more interesting to look at as her cheeks reddened.

“Am I interrupting anything, officers?”

“No, sir.” The rabbit said while the vixen mumbled under her breath.

“Good.” He tossed the file to the fox, who caught it better than the pastry. “Lieutenant Lop here is going on leave and you get to finish up her last report.”

“Yes, sir. Right away, sir.”

Nick patted the air with his paw. “Cool your jets, Savage. Bogo needs that by the end of the week, so there’s no need to rush it.”

There was a little huff from the doe next to him. 

“With your apparent abundance of free time I shouldn’t be surprised to see it finished by, oh I don’t know, Wednesday.”

They both nodded and Nick left them to their work.

The main atrium was already locked and at this late hour there was no one else around. Knowing where Clawhauser kept a stash of donuts, Nick snagged a few from the desk for them while the two waited for her car to come up.

“You sure you won’t need a sitter for the kits?”

“One of my nieces is coming up from Bunnyburrow. She’s going into child care and what better way to practice than with family?”

Nick sucked his teeth, “But that’s such a long trip. From the time she finds out you’re in labor to when she gets up here, you could have given birth already. I’m a lot closer.”

“Matthew is still mad about the last time you watched our kits.” Judy tried to hide her smile but her mouth betrayed her.

“I promise I won’t give them any sweets after noon.” Nick held up his paw with two fingers straight up like a scout oath.

“It wasn’t the sugar high, Nick. It’s the fact that  _ somehow _ Neil used a defensive throw on another kit in daycare.”

“To be fair, I taught all three of them how to do it.”

“Nick!” She slapped his upper arm with the back of her paw as she laughed as Nick’s tail curled around the back of Judy’s feet.

“Don’t you want your kit to know self defense?”

“When they’re thirteen, at the earliest.” Her phone beeped just as a car pulled up. “There’s my ride.”

Being the chivalrous mammal he was, Nick held the door open for her.

“Tell Matty I promise not to teach them the sleeper hold until they’re at least ten.”

Judy hobbled her way to the car and took off towards home and her awaiting family. Nick stood, staring out the glass doors wallowing in the last bit of Judy he’d get for some time. The smile on his face faded like a flashlight running out of battery. The laughter they shared could only stay warm for so long.

Even if she had the litter by the end of the week, ZPD offered over three months of maternity leave. Before being reinstated there would be another month of tests and trials. Not that she ever took the full length of the leave. She loved her job too much.

The shortest stint she took with maternity had been three and a half months. Regardless of all the evidence otherwise, the idea that she might not come back haunted his thoughts every time she left. Finally swapping her badge for full time motherhood. Rationality would say she would never leave before retirement, but fear is never rational.

Nick was roused out of his thoughts by someone clearing their throat. He turned and saw Office Winters, the arctic vixen, standing in her civilian clothes giving him quite the glower.

“What was that?” 

“I was seeing a fellow officer off duty.”

“Does she even know what it means to have a fox wrap their tail around her?” She crossed her arms over her chest, her purse dangled in the crux of her elbow.

“Does Stripes know what it means when anyone else even touches a vixen’s tail?”

Officer Winters’s eyes grew wide in shock.

“That’s not… She’s already married, Captain. Savage and I are both free agents in that regard.”

From the look in her eyes, he knew what kind of reaction she expected from him. Maybe she even wanted him to bark back in anger. Instead he just smiled at the young vixen.

“Then do what I didn’t and say something to him.”

“So you do love her.” She said, totally avoiding the topic of his advice.

A soft chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Of course I do. She knows that. We were partners. More than that, she helped make me the upstanding mammal I am today.”

Confusion started to set into the vixen’s face. “So she’s fine with you wrapping your tail around her like she’s a mate?”

Nick nodded. “She knows what it means. She knows why I do it. We had a good long chat about it a long time ago. We’re not married. We’re not lovers. But we are soulmates.”

Skye’s confusion contorted into perplexity. Apparently the “Not married” shaped peg wasn’t fitting into the “soulmates” shaped hole in her mind.

“Soulmates don’t have to be romantic, Winters. They don’t even need to be long lasting relationships. They’re people who you connect with, gel with, just flat out get without even a word being said between one another.”

“You seemed like you’re still holding a candle for her though.”

“Undeniably.” He admitted, which again shocked the vixen. Apparently she wasn’t used to such blatant emotional honesty. Years of having an emotional bunny as a partner rubs off in various ways. “Although, it’s a small candle. Barely a flicker, really.”

“So why are you still single?”

Her accusatory tone put a little venom to the question’s bite. He did not fall for her bait though, giving her his patented smile.

“Why? Got an older sister you want to set me up with?”

She, though, reacted exactly how he expected and let out an amused hum at her flustering attempts to start a response. He held up a paw pausing her.

“Look, I get it. You see me, seeming to be pining away for a cute little rabbit. Treating her like a mate when she isn’t and forlornly watching her run off to give some other mammal she married another litter of kits. You see all that and it scares you. It scares you because you fear that, one day, you will be the one pining away for a rabbit you can’t have.”

Her jaw fell open and he knew he hit his mark. All she could muster were a few small choking noises. Before Nick pivoted the conversation.

“Are you driving home?”

The simple query brought her out of her stupor.

“No I…” Her white fur failed to hide the blush on her cheeks and her voice came out as an embarrassed whisper. “I’m waiting for Jack, he’s still finishing up his report. We usually take a zuber together. We don’t live too far from each other.”

“Great! Come with me.” Nick walked to the elevators and waived at the vixen to follow him.

She followed, unsure of what he was up to. They made their way back to the officers’ floor. Nick be-lined it to Jack and Skye’s office. He wrapped his paw a few times on the frame of the open door. The striped rabbit turned from his computer and looked at the two mammals. His bright blue eyes squinted in concern seeing a demuir Skye behind the older tod.

“Yes, Captain?”

“You almost done?”

“I was about to submit the last report.”

“Fantastic. When you’re done, meet us in my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nick shot the buck a wide smile and headed to his office. He stopped when they reached Judy’s office.

“A quick pitstop.”

Judy’s office, while not the picture of tidiness, was always in better shape than his. Opening the bottom drawer of her file cabinet, he reached into the depths of the drawer. His paw passed over folders and files but stopped when he felt the smooth feel of glass against his pawpads. His paw brought out a smooth, cylindrical, old-fashion style drinking glass from the drawer and he closed it. Setting the glass down he tidied what little he could. He straightened files that were on her desk and powered down her computer. A warmth fluttered in his chest as he glanced at the photo from her wedding on her desk. Her and Matt were surrounded by their bridal party which included Nick on Judy’s side. Any heartache he had on that day had long since faded, leaving only treasured memories. He turned out the lights before grabbing the glass and closing her door.

He walked into his office and motioned Skye to the set of spare chairs in front of his desk. It wasn’t the biggest office but it had a cramped-but-cozy feel with all the photos, awards, and plaques that covered every surface that wasn’t a file cabinet. Each piece on his walls was a vivid reminder of why he does his job. From the newspaper articles of busts he spearheaded, the photo of his induction into the Ranger Scouts as a troop leader, to his trophy for getting second place in the annual ZPD Scent Tracking Competition. Every single one was a treasured trophy.

He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and reached inside. Moving aside some file folders and a gun cleaning kit, he reached his paw into the depths and pulled out a custom sized set of old fashioned glasses. Another reach in and he brought out a bottle of rum that was only a third full setting behind the glasses.

His thumb ran over the sharpied note on the bottle’s label.   
  


_ “To the newest and best Captain _

_ \- Love Judy” _

A knock came from his door frame and the unsure buck leaned into the office.

“You wanted to see me-” He glanced at Skye sitting across from the Captain. “Um us, sir?”

“Jack, please sit!” Nick motioned to the free chair and splashed some of the rum into each glass. He set two of them in front of the younger officers.

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” The rabbit’s eyes darted between the drinks and the badge on Nick’s chest.

“Kid, there’s a bottle of hooch in ninety percent of every ranking officer’s desk. Probably a good sixty percent in the file cabinets throughout the whole building. The two unwritten stipulations are; have a really good reason and don’t do it alone.”

“So, what’s the reason?”Skye sniffed her drink. The vixen’s face softened at the sweet aroma.

Nick raised his glass. “To Lieutenant Judy Lop and her belly full of kin. May they take after their mother.”

Jack and Skye raised their glasses to his with a light clink.

“To Lieutenant Lop.” They said in unison before the three of them downed the gulp’s worth of rum in their glasses. Jack let out a panting breath in a vain attempt to expel some of the heat. Skye shook her head with a pleasant hum as the liquid heated her throat.

“Not a fan of her husband?” The buck questioned after his throat had cooled.

“No, no. Matty’s a great guy but the world needs more mammals like Judy. Matt’s what a typical rabbit would aspire to be, still entrenched in produce and farms but mass distribution and storage. Judy though…”

His eyes drifted to a photo stuck to the front of his computer. It was taken at the annual ZPD summer cookout. They had been detectives for two years and they were all smiles, arms wrapped around each other. He was going to tell her his feelings that day. Yet hiding his emotions was second nature and so much easier than saying three little words. At least back then. Having summited that mountain, which seemed impossible to the young tod in the photo, sometime ago Nick shook his head with a slight chuckle.

“She’s a game changer. Enough mammals like her and I guarantee we’ll have world peace.”

He dropped three more splashes into the glasses, being a bit more generous with his. They raised them again and Nick looked at the young buck across his desk.

“So Stripes, what will you toast to?”

His bright eyes flickered between the foxes, stopping on the vixen. A faint smile touched her face.

“To good partners.”

“Great partners.” She agreed, eyeing the little rabbit.

“The best.” Nick added before the glasses touched.

He let out a breath as waves of warmth traveled through his stomach into his chest and up his ears.

“Last one.” He said as he poured the rum into the three glasses.

“What are you toasting to Skye?” Jack asked, swirling the liquid in his glass.

Her pale blue eyes watched the rabbit stare at his swirling drink and the ghost of a smile on her muzzle widened. Nick wasn’t sure if her cheeks were flush from the drink or the rabbit next to her. When her eyes flicked back to the older fox, he got his answer. She raised her glass defiantly. 

“To the death of fear.”

The bunny let out a small humored huff. “That’s a hot take there, Skye.”

“I don’t want to conquer my fear, Jack. I want to destroy it.”

Nick gave her a knowing nod. 

“To the death of fear then.”

The glasses clinked and they all downed their drinks. The little rabbit shook from the tips of his drooping ears to his toes from his third drink.

“Oh, I am glad I’m not driving home.”

“Skye, you might have to carry him home.”

Skye gave Nick’s parental smirk a cool glare before getting out of the chair.

“Thank you, Captain, but we should be heading home.”

“No, no. Thank you. My door is open if either of you need anything.”

Jack slunk out of the chair and took a few wobbly steps out of the door. Skye came up and placed a paw behind his back, steadying the buck.

“You alright there, Short Stack?”

He waved the question away, swaying into her side as he did so. “I’m fine.”

As he watched the two, Nick pour himself another drink. Jack slung his arm around her waist as they walked. Partly for stability, by the way he was swaying. Maybe Nick shouldn’t have been so generous with his shots. He was used to Judy, who was a study farm bunny who grew up with farm hootch. Poor little Jack didn’t have the same tolerance. Nick made a note of that for any future encounters involving him and drinks. Skye’s fluffy white tail wagged as they walked away. It only wagged towards the rabbit next to her. He looked down at the old photo of Judy and him from so long ago and smiled before raising his glass towards the two young officers.

“To the future.” He toasted at the two officers and sipped his drink. 

_ May they learn from our mistakes and regrets. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A comment from EEsDoNotItNow on the original draft of this story was the seed of the plot bunny that this sprung from. I hope this hit the right marks.


End file.
